1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to endoscopy. In particular, the present invention relates to an assembly for securing any readily-available digital camera to the eyepiece of an endoscope.
2. Description of Current Technology
Endoscopy is a visual diagnostic tool that is applied in many fields of medicine. In endoscopy, a long narrow flexible tube, i.e., an endoscope, is used to transmit an image of an object located near a first one of its ends to a second one of its ends. The first end is inserted into a body. The interior of the endoscope is capable of transmitting light entering the first end of the endoscope to the second end of the endoscope. The second end of the endoscope usually has an eyepiece so that a person can view the transmitted image of the object located near the first end of the endoscope.
Because of its narrow tubular structure, the endoscope is a useful tool for viewing the inside of a body lumen. For example, in a procedure called cystoscopy, a urologist uses an endoscope to visually inspect the urethra and urinary bladder for abnormalities. Endoscopic procedures outside the field of urology include but are not limited to colonoscopy (gastroenterology), bronchoscopy (otolaryngology), and tympanoscopy (pediatrics).
While it is possible to view an image of an object located near the first end of the endoscope by physically looking through the eyepiece at the second end of the endoscope, this method of viewing the image is limiting in the sense that only one person can view the image at a time and that person will often have to be in a particular location in a room in order to view the image. It is more useful to display the image on a monitor so that any person in the room can view it without moving to a particular location in the room. This is particularly useful during a surgical procedure, where a surgeon often needs to be at a particular location and cannot move from that location for purposes of viewing the image.
Additionally, often a doctor will want a physical record of an image from an endoscope. Such a physical record, i.e., a photograph, can, for example, be placed in a patient's paper file.
Currently, a large tower containing an analog camera linked to a monitor is used to display an image from an endoscope and to capture the image for a permanent record. This equipment is large, difficult to use, non-portable, and expensive. The cost of this equipment can be $40,000 or more and the non-portability of the equipment means that endoscopic procedures must be performed in a dedicated room. Additionally, because the camera is analog, i.e., the image is captured on film, the image cannot easily be incorporated into an electronic patient file.
Compact digital cameras are inexpensive, portable and readily available. A digital camera can be purchased for $500 or less. Digital cameras can capture images that can be easily downloaded into a computer, which can readily incorporate them into electronic patient files. Most digital cameras can also record video. Digital cameras also contain a port for plugging in a cable from a TV or a monitor for live display of the images received by the barrel of the camera. Newer digital cameras are able to wirelessly transmit images to a computer for storage or to a compatible monitor or TV for display. Some cameras can even wirelessly transmit a video being taken by the camera to a monitor or TV in real-time. Due to their popularity, new features are continuously being added to digital cameras and their prices continue to fall.
Attempts have been made in the past to use a digital camera in endoscopic procedures, with varying success. For a digital camera to be employed in endoscopy, it must be positioned against the eyepiece at the second end of the endoscope. Digital cameras, however, differ considerably in their size and construction. The barrels of some digital cameras are located at the center of the front face of the camera. The barrels of other digital cameras are located on a particular side of the front face. Additionally, the size of the barrel and the amount by which the barrel extends from the front face differs from camera to camera. Therefore, it is difficult to construct a universal mechanism that secures any common digital camera to the eyepiece of the endoscope.